[Intro]
[Clean guitar in twelve-eight; slide guitar states the motif.]

[Male Vocal]
[Verse 1]
I changed my strings beneath their names,
Cut through the paint like little flames.
"Roxy '86" beside the fan,
"Mercy—Japan or bust" in pen.
Lipstick dates and pocketknife scars,
A family tree of rented stars.

[Chorus]
Names in the dressing room,
Cut in the paint where the light won't bloom.
Some went home and some went far,
Some left town in a borrowed car.
Paint this wall and seal our doom;
You'll still hear names in the dressing room.

[Verse 2]
Jenny's mark sat below the shelf;
She sang for us, not for herself.
Razor Lee stole our Tuesday crowd,
Now drives a school bus, still talks loud.
Tommy left when rent came due;
I cursed him before I knew.

[Instrumental Break]
[Bottleneck slide and Hammond organ answer each other.]

[Bridge]
The singer saw a hall of fame;
I saw the hands behind each name.
A room is wood, a wall is space;
Memory needs a mark, a place.

[Chorus]
Names in the dressing room,
Cut in the paint where the light won't bloom.
Some found peace and some found bars,
Some still tune their old guitars.
Paint this wall and seal our doom;
You'll still hear names in the dressing room.

[Final Chorus]
Names in the dressing room,
Pass me the chalk, give me some room.
I wrote tonight beneath our scar:
"We came this near. We came this far."
When morning clears the dust and fumes,
Carry the names from the dressing room.

[Outro]
I capped the marker, killed the light.
The mirror held the room all night.